socaltownie said:

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So I won't divulge insider board stuff but suffice it to say that MM will have a bit more ammo. Lets also keep in mind that TT Carr _IS_ coming back and there were games early on that he showed seriously good flashes for a PG. Guys that followed him in HS suggest he is prepared to take a major step up - and IIRC his free throw shooting significantly improved as the season went on.

There are now over 1000 players in the portal. That was a count this morning so likely more. MM has shown significant ability to scout and get talent - especially this year when you look at the ON rankings for our guys (which were DECIDEDLY pedestrian).

And I am NOT convinced that Pippen could not return. _IF_ MM has the ammo and can put guys on the court I could see it - there are a TON of guards out (many who declared today) there who are going to command more interest than Justin and ultimately the Bag may not be there. With the 15 day window you have to believe that there are a lot of "you gotta let us know in 3 hours." sorts of offers so I could see a lot of slots disappearing and Cal actually be in a decent place.

I just a bit of research, for example, found out that Kyle Evans of UCI is in the portal and honestly he would be as good (better?) than Dort as a pure rim protector. Not sure if he is in our price range - he will get a lot of interest as the Defensive player of the year at UCI and already with some decent post moves. (As an aside - why could we not get him out of HS).

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BeachedBear said:

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As of this morning, I have seen that half of D1 MBB players are in the portal.

Instead of pulling my hair out when 3 Cal players enter, I am seeing it as....

Why are so many other Cal players NOT in the portal?


(I know the answer -we had a VERY short bench. And those players did not demonstrate much value - so probably are better of sticking it here for another year hoping to move up the bench. Anyone who demonstrated anything of value is in the portal or out of eligibility).


Time will tell....

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Bobodeluxe said:

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Why not just go all in on hiring the best high school players available? The Berkeley Bears cannot compete with big spenders to hire portal players. Come to Berkeley. Play a lot on a decent sized stage, and maximize your payday next year. High schoolers might take the bait($), and sign up for a year of easy money.

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ManBearLion123 said:

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calumnus said:

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International players currently cannot accept NIL. Cal has a huge comparative advantage there if we have staff that can identify and recruit the players.

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Could be wrong but I'm almost certain that schools are finding a way to pay international players. A lot of international guys are leaving European pro ball (and/or passing on the NBA draft) to play at the college level.

That surely wouldn't be so common if they weren't getting paid large sums to play at the college level.

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calumnus said:

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ManBearLion123 said:

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calumnus said:

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International players currently cannot accept NIL. Cal has a huge comparative advantage there if we have staff that can identify and recruit the players.

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Could be wrong but I'm almost certain that schools are finding a way to pay international players. A lot of international guys are leaving European pro ball (and/or passing on the NBA draft) to play at the college level.

That surely wouldn't be so common if they weren't getting paid large sums to play at the college level.

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It isn't yet "common," it only recently became legal for former "professional" players to be eligible under NCAA rules.

Players on F-1 student visas cannot even receive true "name, image and likeness" revenue in the U.S. They can only receive income from foreign entities, for work done outside the U.S. Cal is as well positioned as any school to use its international connections. As I said in the other thread, Cal basketball alum Richard Chang is president of COSTCO Asia.

Name a few players that you are thinking of and we can look up their situation.

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BeachedBear said:

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socaltownie said:

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BeachedBear said:

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As of this morning, I have seen that half of D1 MBB players are in the portal.

Instead of pulling my hair out when 3 Cal players enter, I am seeing it as....

Why are so many other Cal players NOT in the portal?


(I know the answer -we had a VERY short bench. And those players did not demonstrate much value - so probably are better of sticking it here for another year hoping to move up the bench. Anyone who demonstrated anything of value is in the portal or out of eligibility).


Time will tell....

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Yeah. I like that we won 20+ games but chatter on Reddit (not influenced by the Blue and Gold koolaid on BI) points out that Pippin disappeared during critical games down the stretch and his 3 ball significantly fell off the last 1/5 of the season. Might have been legs but maybe not and paying 3 million for him - when we don't know what that might get you is loyalty to the player in a period of absolutely zero loyalty to the institution or team. At 1 or 1.5 sure. But you can't spend 30-40-50% of NIL on Justin alone.

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Yeah - looks like a very inefficient market. We are better off playing it smart and not making desperation moves.

If Pippin, Dort and Ames can make the kind of money I am hearing - then best of luck to them and no hard feelings.

If this continues for a few more seasons (I have no idea how long this will continue), then Cal may earn a reputation as an excellent launching pad for proving up and coming talent and having them earn some real bank. While it may mean a new set of Pippin & Ames each year and likely never making the Tourney - that may very well be Cal and Madsen's sweet spot.

And I'm OK with that for a few seasons (but not longer term - I miss getting to know the players and thinking about how a team comes together over the course of multiple seasons). That level of success, albeit mediocre, may bring back some of us donors who Knowlton and Christ ran off.

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Bobodeluxe said:

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You sign 12 fairly highly rated high schoolers, at $300k a pop, you should get five who could start on a nit level team. More fun than what's happening at Haas these days.

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BeachedBear said:

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Bobodeluxe said:

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You sign 12 fairly highly rated high schoolers, at $300k a pop, you should get five who could start on a nit level team. More fun than what's happening at Haas these days.

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Except, I think your $300k a pop number is way too low for highly rated high schoolers.

And I think that 12 freshman would actually be significantly worse to watch than what was happening in Haas last season.

Last time a freshman laden class was fun to watch would be Kidd/Murray or maybe Brown/Rabb. Both of those today would be MUCH MUCH Higher than the $3.6M you suggest.

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